Skycroft Campground Resort expansions plans are back

Jeff Green | Sep 21, 2022

In 2017, David Hillhorst, the owner of Skycroft Campground on Opinicon, brought forward a proposal to South Frontenac Council for an Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw amendment that would allow him to greatly increase the number of campsites within Skycroft on a previously undeveloped parcel of land within the overall property.

There was significant public opposition to the proposal that was submitted to the township, expressed in both written and oral form at a public meeting that was held to discuss the proposal.

At the time, the township deferred consideration of the proposal, and Hillhorst has been working ever since to complete a series of engineering and environmental assessments.

The proposal is coming back to a public meeting this week, as part of the September 20 South Frontenac Council agenda.

The material accompanying the proposal this time around is extensive. It includes a 50- page Environmental Compliance report by Canadian Shield Consulting, a 119 page Environmental Impact Assessment by Cambium Engineering and Consulting, a 51 page Planning Justification Report by R&A Consulting, and a 20 page Traffic Report by Greer Galloway. It also includes other documentation, including correspondence between consultants working on the project South Frontenac senior planner, Christine Wood.

The campground has co-existed with the local cottage community, and the Queens University Biological station on Opinicon since the late 1950’s

“Skycroft started back in February 1958. A large swath of land of about 1000 acres was purchased by Allan and Ellen Bonwill who started Skycroft as an educational camp that slowly evolved into the beautiful resort you see today. They set aside about 50 acres for the campground and other portions of the property were severed and sold over the years, including a huge parcel to Queen's University Biological Station (QUBS) forever protecting its natural beauty. On this parcel and others Skycroft had built a massive trail system that is enjoyed by many even today,” said David Hillhorst, in a written statement to the Frontenac News.

Jim and Anne Bonwill, and the next generation of their family, Jim and Ann Barton, operated the campground in harmony with both the QUBS, and the community of neighbouring cottagers on the lake, many of who trace their own roots on the lake to the 1960’s.

The campground was sold to David Hillhorst in 2011.

“My commitment to Jim and Ann was to maintain the values of the park, and that commitment is very important to me. I won’t waver from it,” Hillhorst told the News.

To that end, Hillhorst said that he has made “improvements to the park, expanding the swimming area, updating equipment, boats and buildings, and improving the store.”

And he has been working plans to expand the Park.

One of the key hurdles the expansion must overcome is the township’s official plan, which limits campgrounds to 50 sites. This applies no matter what size parcel of land a campground is being placed on, whether it is a 5-acre parcel, a 50-acre parcel, or a 500 acre parcel.

“The 50-site limit comes from the province,” said Hillhorst, “it really is a starting point that is adjusted based on the capacity of the site.”

The Official Plan also limits lot coverage for campsites at 25%, and requires 15 metres of usable shoreline per site.

Skycroft has 80 camp sites currently, which were all in place when the Official Plan was adopted in 2001, so they are grandfathered in as a “legal, non-conforming use.”

The Official Plan amendment, if approved as presented, would permit 146 additional; campsites, with lot coverage of 43% and 3.6 metres of usable shoreline per site.

The Skycroft application is supported by a number of letters from campers and local community members.

“We feel that an expansion will not be detrimental in any way. It would enable more people to enjoy the camping experience. As it is now, the park is always fully booked and in demand. We know that more sites would not impact the enjoyability of the park and it would not negatively impact the land. We believe the owner will maintain the uniqueness of the park by maintaining the uniqueness of each additional campsite,” said one of the letters.

However, since the application became general knowledge a couple of weeks ago, those who were opposed in 2017 have been actively preparing a fresh responses, and letters and presentations addressing the revised proposal and its supporting documentation will be presented at the virtual public meeting next Tuesday

Among the letters that were received by the township, is one by a group of 9 biologists associated with the Queen’s biological station, three of whom are Opinicon Lake residents. The letter referenced concerns over the potential for algal blooms on Opinicon Lake, and said “the southern finger of the lake where Skycroft is located suffers from a lack of flushing activity and, therefore, is more at risk to certain human activities than the rest of the lake. Recent snorkel surveys of the shorelines at, and adjacent to the Skycroft property indicate several problematic issues as a result of that increased risk and the already high human density.”

A group, called Concerned Residents of South Opinicon, raised a number of concerns that mirrored the objections they raised in 2017. While a number of these objections are addressed in the studies that have been completed by Skycroft for the updated application, the group still opposes the project and is submitting a response to next week’s public meeting.

The project will also face a more substantive hurdle from the Rideau Waterway Development Review Team (RWDRT) a commenting agency including environmental experts from Cataraqui Conservation and Parks Canada

RWDRT looked at a number of issues surrounding the proposed Official Plan and Bylaw amendments. They conducted site visits and reviewed all of the supporting reports for the project that were submitted by Hillhorst.

They noted a number of shortcomings in the current proposal.

“In summary, RWDRT are concerned that the proposed site plan is a significant modification to the existing landscape and the intensification of activity through the proposed works could compromise the ecological integrity of the site’s natural heritage and the heritage values of the Rideau Canal National Historic Site and World Heritage Site,” they said at the conclusion of the report they submitted to senior SF planner Christine Wood.

They then recommended a deferral of the application “until the above noted items have been addressed to the satisfaction of the township and the RWDT”.

Hillhorst, and his consulting team, will have an opportunity to address the RWDT report at the public meeting, as will any other interested party who attends the meeting by virtual means.

Christine Woods will also present council with recommendations from the planning department, which has remained active on this file for the last 5 years.

(Editors note – this article will be updated at Frontenacnews.ca based on the outcome of the September 20 South Frontenac Council meeting)